Jonny Hannah – McVouty’s 2nd Hand Emporium – Signed Limited Edition Linocut 13/50 – Cakes & Ale Press – 2008

Description

A highly characteristic original colour linocut by Jonny Hannah, entitled McVouty’s 2nd Hand Emporium, dating from 2008.

The work measures 39.4 × 31 cm and was issued in a limited edition of only 50 impressions. This example is number 13/50, signed and dated 2008 by Jonny Hannah in pencil, with the Cakes & Ale Press imprint printed beneath the image.

The composition is constructed like an eccentric piece of hand-printed shop advertising. Large block lettering spells:

McVOUTY’S

along the left and lower edges, while a central panel announces:

OPENING SOON

with additional lettering including:

78 RPM

and

2nd Hand Emporium

A headless jacket occupies the centre of the shop-sign-like panel, accompanied by a pointing hand and the phrase:

“CALLING ALL HIPSTERS”

The overall effect is deliberately playful and slightly absurd, blending the visual language of second-hand shops, vintage record dealers, clothing advertisements and hand-painted signs.

McVouty’s

McVouty’s is one of the recurring fictional businesses in Hannah’s wider imagined world.

The name itself has a strong jazz association: “McVouty” was a piece of hipster slang associated with the eccentric jazz musician and entertainer Slim Gaillard, whose language, music and humour have clear affinities with Hannah’s own fascination with jazz culture, wordplay and invented commercial identities.

Hannah subsequently developed McVouty’s into a recurring imaginary emporium within his broader visual mythology, and this 2008 print is an early and particularly attractive expression of that idea.

The notion of a “2nd Hand Emporium” also suits Hannah perfectly. His work repeatedly draws upon discarded or overlooked visual culture: old signs, records, clothes, packaging, labels, typography and ephemera. McVouty’s becomes an imagined shop in which all of these interests can coexist.

Records, Clothes and Hipster Culture

The print’s references to 78 RPM records, second-hand goods and “hipsters” create a direct connection with the material culture of early jazz and popular music.

A 78 rpm record was the standard format for much recorded popular music during the first half of the twentieth century, and the phrase immediately evokes shellac records, record shops, jazz collecting and pre-LP music culture.

The jacket displayed at the centre of the composition adds another layer, suggesting that McVouty’s deals not simply in records but in the broader paraphernalia of style: clothes, music, attitude and second-hand curiosities.

This is less a literal advertisement than an affectionate fantasy of the perfect junk shop for a collector.

Typography and Graphic Language

Typography dominates the composition.

Hannah combines heavy block capitals, decorative scripts, condensed lettering and rough hand-cut forms. The words function visually as much as semantically, creating a layout reminiscent of a shop handbill, record-dealer flyer or improvised street advertisement.

The palette of mustard yellow, red, black and cream reinforces that commercial-ephemera character.

The slight irregularity of every letter and line is intentional. Rather than imitating machine-set typography, Hannah embraces the directness of hand-cut lettering.

Linocut Technique

This work is an original linocut, not a later digital or photographic reproduction.

The relief-printing process gives the image its strong graphic character. Areas of flat colour sit alongside visibly cut lines, broken textures and slight variations in ink coverage.

These characteristics are integral to the work and are particularly appropriate to an image that deliberately evokes cheaply printed advertising and second-hand commercial ephemera.

Date and Edition

The work dates from 2008.

This example is:

13/50

from an edition of only 50 impressions.

The relatively early date is of particular interest because McVouty’s subsequently became a recurring element within Hannah’s visual world. This print therefore documents the motif at an early stage in its development.

Condition

Very good condition overall.

The printed colours remain strong and well balanced, with very good definition throughout the lettering and central imagery.

There is some light natural waviness and handling to the sheet, visible particularly towards the upper and lower margins, consistent with the age and handmade nature of the work. Small variations in ink density and printed texture are intrinsic to the linocut process.

The pencil signature, 2008 date and edition number 13/50 remain clear and legible.

Please study the photographs carefully as they form an integral part of the description.

Artist: Jonny Hannah
Title: McVouty’s 2nd Hand Emporium
Date: 2008
Medium: Original colour linocut
Edition: 13/50
Edition size: 50
Signed: Yes, in pencil
Dated: 2008
Size: 39.4 × 31 cm
Imprint: Cakes & Ale Press
Subjects: McVouty’s / jazz culture / 78 rpm records / second-hand shops / typography
Format: Original limited-edition artist’s linocut
Unframed: Yes
Modern reproduction: No

Authenticity

This work has been handled, inspected and catalogued in-house at Hornseys before being offered for sale.

The pencil signature, date, edition number 13/50 and Cakes & Ale Press imprint are all clearly visible beneath the image.

It is an original signed and numbered Jonny Hannah linocut from an edition of only 50, not a later reproduction.

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